It is unfortunate and a cruel stroke of fate that man has no natural predators in great abundance. Even the few noble beasts that remain find our cultivated innards repugnant.
I now enter into more difficult tasks in building these utopian infrastructures. I have outlined what I perceive to be our primary problems resulting in Gridlock, and I have offered up some images of utopian sites, but now we have to impose ourselves on the framework. And this is unfortunately a corrupted process. Just as the parent corrupts a child, so now I must corrupt these virgin landscapes. I use corrupt to describe not having perfect knowledge and enlightenment, or anything even approaching such heights. I have already corrupted this post with my selection of the image above. I scoured google for potential architecture and city designs, current and futuristic, that would fit some of those virgin landscapes in the previous post, but nothing really seemed to fit. Lacking the ability to use my own imagination and artistic talents, lowly as they are, I am forced to throw a previous invention and creation out in the open. That is why we must come to terms with the idea that the infrastructure we provide for these upstarts are temporary, for those living in these constructs will define, design, and create their own infrastructure. But, we must put our best efforts into the infrastructure despite the temporary contract.
Several utopian structures assume a simple life where those living within the utopia walk around in drab clothing, live in primitive structures, and nibble on modest provisions. Such communities appeal to a communist like image where all the inhabitants are equally miserable. I don’t see any reason to deny these beings from many of our creations and comforts even if many such creations were corrupted by the drive for profit at the expense of depth, beauty, and what would’ve been if profit wasn’t such a powerful influence. As such, the infrastructure will be built with all of our modern know how and be equipped appropriately. The one key limitation is that this infrastructure will be developed to minimize environmental impact on the unspoiled territory. As such, solar, water, and wind power must prevail over oil and gas based solutions. There will be no automobiles as feet and bikes will be the primary mode of transportation. The population of these upstart communities will not be large enough to need public transport. But, roads and or ports must be constructed to enable logistics to function from the outside world. The initial state will certainly need a connection to what exists, despite the corruption, for there is a fair exchange — nurture and knowledge of what has come before.
The center of these communities will not be the market, the church, the temple, the skyscrapers, the shopping malls, rather the center of these communities is the nursery, pre-school, school, the university, the cultural center of arts, music, and science. As the culture evolves, they have the free rein to define what defines the center of the community, but for now, it is these things I have mentioned. Again, I am corrupting the process. The architects, engineers, techies, artists, environmentalists, physicians, dentists, teachers, professors, psychologists, care givers, philosophers, designers, entrepeneurs, can now go to work. But I ask them to keep at least some of these thoughts in mind while designing the infrastructure. They are the farmers, the mothers and fathers, preparing the land to plant the seeds to ensure they sprout, grow, and thrive into the sunlight. They are responsible for the harvest given the challenges of the external forces. What type of infrastructure and designs will maximize the opportunities for these seeds to grow into a bountiful harvest? How will the infrastructure and designs accentuate and heighten their young sensitive senses and how will the infrastructure embrace the natural beauty that surrounds the community? How will the above impact the most important aspects of virgin fresh beings — the supple unspoiled mind, body, and soul?
This is a follow-up post from “Gridlock”. Generation Skip is a radical concept that most likely won’t appeal to many folks in our current society. I am not sure it even appeals to me. But, desperate times call for desperate measures. Generation Skip is an idea that acts as a stop-gap to our current insane treadmill – bringing more children on-line within a society that has a multitude of unsolved problems which become further exasperated by more and more human beings coming on-line. For example, poverty is a horrible unsolved problem, yet often within these poverty pockets more children are brought on-line in greater numbers than more fortunate pockets of society. One doesn’t even need to point to poverty. The average family in one of the richest countries in the world makes just enough money to squeak out a living. Is it desirable to bring children into this hand to mouth environment? Generation Skip sidesteps the cogs and in essence begins the process of a new human reality within the context of reality – that reality being all that exists outside of the human domain, the inhuman reality from which we came and are ultimately subject to.
Generation Skip is steeped in short-term sacrifice for long-term gains and rewards.
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I am putting this post on hold as well as intended follow up posts related to Generation Skip. I would trash the post but I want to preserve the comments and I believe they provide more food for thought and contemplation. After reading through the comments and composing my own comments in response, I really wasn’t comfortable with post below the above line. I find it easy to observe and critize the status quo, but developing a vision or more detailed utopian-like solution to pull us out of Grid Lock is beyond my comprehension at this point. It may in fact remain beyond my comprehension and I may not return to the idea of Generation Skip. I do like the above picture:)
We built the automobile to increase our freedom of mobility. We built the freeway to enable our automobiles to travel fast and free. I find it strange that we often find ourselves in traffic jams. Does this not defeat the very intention of the two inventions in the first place? And oh my, how expensive these inventions are indeed.
When you contemplate many of man’s creations, which appear so ingenious upon birth, they seem to lead to dead ends or more appropriately defined– gridlock.
Take religion. Religion is a beautiful concept with many good intentions, but what human invention has led to more misery, ignorance, censorship, persecution, bigotry, and bloodshed than religion?
Take industrialization. Industrialization has led to great comfort, widgets, and trinkets, but at the same time it also led to slave labor, child labor, commoditization of the human being, and environmental destruction.
Take Politics. Politics was developed to represent and care for the people yet corruption and incompetence has led to bloody revolutions, civil wars, and enormous public debts.
Take science. Science enlightened us to many realms yet it also equipped us with the means to destroy ourselves on a massive scale both in terms of weapons and environmental degradation.
Take law. Law was conceived to provide order and fairness yet one can hardly take a shit without worrying about the sewage (LMAO).
Take economics. Economics was invented to serve us, yet we and all of the above inventions serve it. Except for the very few who have grown disproportionately rich or inherited great wealth, we can’t control economics otherwise we wouldn’t experience recessions, depressions, market crashes and collapses, large-scale unemployment and underemployment.
There seems to be only one way to solve this gridlock conundrum. Everyone needs to simply get out of their cars and leave them behind. We need to walk together and begin the long and gradual process of tearing it all down so we can begin anew.
Next post will put forward one idea of many to come that deals with breaking through this gridlock. The post will be called “Generation Skip”.
Ah…an unexpected productive day on the blog. Somehow, I was able to overcome Beethoven’s 7th symphony movement #2, to find some voice and words worth expressing. My final poem or muse…and then sleep. No need to wait and proof in the morning. This draft is good enough for a blog. One can always improve words, but I am tired and satisfied. Good night fellow man…and woman…sweet dreams.
Here I float
Alone
Idle
Latent energy
Naïve hope
Potential
Available to ignite
For a purpose
A grand vision
But I know what the future holds
My fuel will again be burnt
On the banal task
For money
To “earn” a living
To make a profit
Flesh slowly decays
Muscles wither away
Brain turns to mush
Bones begin to crack
Spirit worn away
Like the rocks from the pounding surf
Forced to carve a small niche
A quiet cove
Away from humankind
To enjoy slivers of beauty
Scraps of fulfillment
Oh modern civilized man
How many more beings will you sacrifice?
Slaughter to your small greedy task?
Look in the mirror
Review your past
Contemplate the Great Abyss
Imagine the future
To understand our true purpose
We were designed to excel
To challenge our uninterested God
To fight the Grand War
Thrust the flaming sword
Into the heart of darkness
And die a Noble Death
Together
Not alone
Disgraced
Unfulfilled
Wasted unused potential
Beautiful ruler of the seas
Power and grace supreme
Perfect form slicing the expanse
Stealth shocking death
Turns Ocean blue red
Shiny black mysterious night
Glistening white glacial ice
War paint
Dreams from wolfish past
Howling at the moon
Terrifying raw freedom
Roaming wild intelligence
Natural strength embraces abyss
No fabricated tools or laws
Noble opponent to inanimate might
Bright beast confronts infinite chaos
The eternal Battle of the Titans
Man merely a misinformed spectator
Or long gone
Failing to comprehend the Grand War
Think about how your five senses are stimulated everyday in your current environment that surrounds you. What do your eyes take in? What do your ears absorb? What do your fingers touch? What smells and tastes fill your being?
Now close your eyes. Imagine a virgin Earth bountiful and full without the awkward looking two-legged mammal that walks upright and all its creations.
Now, how would you go about putting us back in the picture? You have all the knowledge of what has come before and what currently exists. You are, for this moment, God.
Would it look anything like that which is before you today? Can you imagine a new structure where our five senses are stimulated in a more heightened manner? How would this change alter our beings? How would we feel and behave? What would be our thoughts, goals, and visions? Would we end up at the same place we are today, or some place worse….better?
